What a capo does to the recording

A capo on the third fret raises every open string by three semitones. The player still fingers G, C and D shapes, but the recording sounds in B♭, E♭ and F. If you play those same shapes without a capo, you are three semitones below the recording.

The rule

Lower the recording by the capo fret. Capo on 3 means −3; capo on 2 means −2. Click the PitchShed icon and press − that many times. The recording now sounds in the key of your open shapes, and the chords in your chart fit without the capo.

A worked example

A tutorial says: capo 2, play G, Em, C, D. With the capo, the song is in A. You would rather skip the capo. Lower the recording by 2 semitones and it sounds in G, which is exactly the key of those shapes. Play G, Em, C and D open, and they line up.

If you sing, check the new key

Lowering the recording lowers the singer too. If the new key does not suit your voice, use the capo after all and leave the recording as it is.

If you do not know the capo fret

Press − one step at a time while you play the shapes along. When the chords stop clashing, you have found it. Try the small numbers first.

The same rule in reverse

It works the other way too. If you put a capo on the second fret and play the same shapes as the recording, you sound two semitones above it. Raise the recording by 2 with + and the two line up, and the song sits higher for your voice as well.